Culture Desk

President Hassan Rouhani praised the winners of the Book of the Year award during the 36th National Award for Book of the Year and the 26th World Award for Book of the Year of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Twenty works authored by domestic and foreign writers and 41 Best Books were awarded during a ceremony held at Vahdat Hall on Tuesday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Rouhani said the Islamic Revolution was without doubt a cultural, social and political movement, adding, we must provide answer to questions and solve the problems.

We cannot solve the problems through commandment and prohibition or filtering, he said.

We must talk to each other and build our society, he said, the Islamic Revolution attained victory through book and pen.

Referring to the US refrainment from allowing four American writers to attend the Tehran’s ceremony, President Rouhani said if the US claims that it does not have any ill-intention against the Iranian nation and culture, why should it prevent four American thinkers from coming to Iran to receive their awards? It shows that the target of the US sanctions are the Iranian science, scientists and pen. The US wants to break the pens and is fighting the thought and civility of today’s world.